Once again, Paul Pierce put on his captain hat and spoke up to the team:
While no one was particularly happy with the Game 4 effort last night, the attitude seemed to be that the Celtics did their job - get one back in Michigan - this weekend. That job becomes more urgent in tomorrow night’s Game 5.
"Definitely, it’s a must-win," Pierce said following an hour of mostly film work and some shooting. "Right now, Detroit has the momentum. The team that gets the win is the team that gets the momentum. We’ve got to find someway, somehow to get a win at home and bring that momentum back to Detroit."
"I like that mentality," offered Rivers. "I wish I heard them all say that last night before the game. That would have been terrific."
Pierce did have a message for his team after the practice: Don’t rely on getting too many more second chances.
"It’s been six years since I’ve been in the Eastern Conference Finals and my second time in 10 years," he said. "This opportunity isn’t guaranteed. A lot of players don’t even make it this far. So this is a tremendous opportunity and I want these guys to realize that."
"They never panic - especially Ray (Allen), Paul and KG," said Kendrick Perkins. "They never talk negative. Even after the loss yesterday, they stayed positive. They were like: ‘We’re getting wins, so don’t even worry about it.’ We’re not losing any more games at home so they are pretty confident."